The Wolf In The Incinerator

Hige 'oofed' as he hit the floor of the incinerator. He jumped to his feet and pounded on the door. "Hey!! Let me out!"

No answer.

The wolf threw his shoulder against the door, then clawed at it viscously. He was desperate, he didn't want to die in here. After a few minutes of frantic struggle he stopped, panting heavily, and leaned with his back to the door. The room consisted of a dark gray square with a grate in the bottom, where a reddish glow emitted the only light. The floor was mostly clean, with the occasional blackened and unidentifiable object here and there. He noticed one particularly large object on the other side of the room, and shuddered.

It was a wolf, still mostly intact, the fur charred black and an ornate beaded necklace made of turquoise around its thin neck. It was small, but that may have been a side effect of the heat. He tried not to look at it, but he couldn't tear his eyes from the pathetic form.

It moved.

"Yaah!!" Hige scrambled to his feet and pressed against the door. Yellow eyes slowly focused on him, and it painfully lifted it's head just enough for it to see him.

Is the moon out tonight?

Hige stared. "Uh...no....I mean, I didn't get a good look at it....I mean...I don't know...eep!" He tried to become one with the wall.

The wolf didn't seem to notice his distress. It's so dark in here...

"Yeah...." He agreed, figuring it was the best thing to do.

I miss the moon..

"How did you survive down here? Are you...a ghost?" He ventured, it didn't look like a ghost....it looked like a corpse, but he was pretty sure it wouldn't appreciate that analogy.

The blackened creature didn't seem to hear him. If you survive the flames, will you take me outside?

Hige nodded. "Uh, sure...but I don't know how I'm going to do that. The door's locked."

Promise?

He nodded.

Just then there was a faint whine as the incinerator was activated. The temperature of the room quickly rose. Hige pounded at the door and screamed for help, but there was no reply. He turned back to the wolf, still staring at him.

It closed it's eyes. Come here...

The air was beginning to shimmer with heat. Hige felt himself starting to sweat. His head began to cloud. Mindlessly he stumbled over to the corpse-like wolf.

And the heat faded.

They were surrounded by flames, but he felt none of them. It was still uncomfortably warm, but the threat of death was gone. The wolf was trembling. It hummed tunelessly.

And the crisis was over.

Kiba and Tsume wrestled the door to the incinerator open, sure they would find a crisped Hige on the other side. Instead their missing brother tumbled out, carrying a charred, black, quite-dead wolf.

"What is that?" Tsume demanded, putting a hand over his nose. "It reeks."

"It's the charcoal." Hige told him. "And this wolf saved my life."

Kibe stared at it. "It has been dead a long time Hige..."

"No, that's what I thought, but it saved me. And I promised I'd take it outside." He lifted it up and walked through the exit.

The others shrugged and followed.

Is the moon out tonight?

Kiba, Tsume, and Toboe all yelped and jumped back when the very 'dead' wolf opened it's eyes and spoke. Hige nodded.

"It's right up there, see?"

Ah....I see.....

The creature sighed deeply, and it was then he realized it hadn't breathed once since he'd first seen it. The moment it exhaled it's body crumbled into dust and blew away, leaving nothing but the turquoise necklace...

Hige stood, staring at the spot the wolf had been. It had held onto life, clung so desperately to it's one final wish to see the moon again....

Thankyou....

He startled and looked up. A pale silver wolf with white markings was standing just ten feet away. It dipped it's head to him and dissolved into moonbeams.

See you in paradise?

"See you in paradise." He whispered.